BLISS RATING: ★★★★
“Each kind deed is a splendid expression of love.” – Harold W. Bockor
I believe this is the first BL series from Laos and for its first time, it is not too bad. It is a familiar story though that they undoubtedly copied from its neighboring country, Thailand. It is a story of a school gang called One Love and lead by Neung (Aey Inthavong). There are four others in this group – three male and one female. Mek (Burdy Inthalangsy) has an unrequited love for Meow and in essence this is really their story. What starts out as a friendship, end up becoming a budding romance between the two of them, although they must go through a lot of angst to get there, more so on Mek’s part. Meow never thought of him in a romantic way until he finally confesses his love for her. I usually find these ‘straight’ stories to be contrived in BL series, but I found this to work here as it developed consequentially. Their timing, connection, and chemistry together is real and seemed natural. And I liked their relationship.
The relationship between Neung and Demo (Ananda Sundara) is a slow mover but predictable journey. Neung being a bad ass in school is threatened by his father that if his behavior and grades do not improve, he will be shipped to America to study. So, Neung hires Demo to tutor him. He kind of forces him to do it by stalking him and finding out his father owes a lot of money to a loan shark. He will pay that off, if Demo tutors him. What choice does Demo have? Although he is not yet fully cognizant of his inner feelings, he finds Neung attractive and really does want to be with him (despite his protests).
Demo is a quiet, withdrawn, very studious, and very sensitive individual who abhors bulling as he himself was bullied as a child. In a very unique and beautiful way, Neung has been connected to him since he was a child, as he was the one who rescued Demo from the bullies torturing him when he was young. Demo never forgot that person who turns out to be Neung. And when reminded, Neung remembers the incident and to his day kept the broken bracelet that Demo gave him. I found that who scenario such an enhancement to the story and a very nice tie in to make the story complete. There are also some nice budding romances with other members the gang as well that just tease of a connection.
This story is surprisingly entertaining even if the premise has been done a million times. There is the colorful mother of Demo who tries to connect with him even though she abandoned him a long time ago (always for good reasons though). Neung’s family is controlled by a dominant father who while stern really does love his son. His family is very wealthy also. The other cohorts in the gang are quite colorful and move the story along well and the bantering between them all seems genuine and real and kind of fun.
Of course, there is a big fight scene at the end with both sides, fostered by Neung, to call a truce and work things out without fists. Ironically, Top, the head of the rival gang, turns out to be Demo’s stepbrother. I know that sounds trite and ordinary, but it worked for me in this case. Perhaps because of the pretty good acting displayed by these individuals. This had to be a real delicate balance for this production as (I believe) this is the first BL series from Laos.
So, while the main focus, was on the ‘straight’ couple, it was really the gay relationships that had the most impact. Neung was attracted to Demo from the very beginning and there was no trying to deny that nor did any of the other gang members have an issue with him loving anther male. Ironically, the only couple who kissed in this series was the gay couple which was a refreshing twist. It was the straight couple who showed hesitancy while the gay couple developed the romantic side to their connection. How nice of a change is that!
Who really S.T.O.L.E. the series? The acting by all of them was good and they all seemed quite natural in their roles but this one was easy. For me, the individual who played Mek, Burdy Inthalangsy, absolutely deserves this distinction. I cannot say enough good things about him. I will first acknowledge that he is drop-dead gorgeous with a baby face innocence that would melt the hardest of hearts. With his quiet even-tempered approach to his role made him absolutely endearing and a joy to watch. Honestly, when Meow could not see or understand his love for him, I felt his pain and emptiness. He played his emotions with a sense of growth about him that you could see. Burdy made Mek him and I absolutely believed his role. Besides not being able to take my eyes off him, he hooked me with his total commitment to wanting and being with Meow. His acting showed such a range of emotions, that you could feel and sense them along with him. He made Meow his whole world and we became a part of this world with him. Well done! Kudos!
No, this little series is not earth-shattering, but it is so entertaining and makes you feel good about life in general. Its subliminal message against bullying is evident and makes its point. Although the gay relationships were NOT the main focus of this story, they were the true storytellers. Yes, we see the unrequited love story between Mek and Meow, but we also see in the forefront and quite obvious that gay relationships are ‘okay’. For that, they deserve praise for bringing a love story between two guys (bordering on two more male couples) to light and legitimizing these relationships as well.
I liked this series and encourage others to watch it.
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